Tangled
by City-of-Shadow.Hunters
Summary: Appearances can be deceiving, a fact that Sebastian and Ciel know very well. And yet, they can't help but fall for Angels outward calm and miss the madness beneath. Will Angel be brought back from the brink of insanity, or will she be swallowed whole by the darkness within herself?


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or the characters apart from my OC Angel. My story mightn't follow the manga exactly since I can't remember the order in which most things happened, and will have a bit of a crossover between the manga and anime e.g. I might be adding Alois in later chapters, but I'm not sure yet.

**Summary:** Appearances can be deceiving, a fact that Sebastian and Ciel know very well. And yet, they can't help but fall for Angels outward calm and miss the madness beneath. Will Angel be brought back from the brink of insanity, or will she be swallowed whole by the darkness within herself?

OC X Snake and slight Sebastian so far. There's a lot of 'will they/won't they' with this OC and a few characters, but don't worry, I won't turn her into one of those girls that **every** guy fancies. This story isn't just about love, but sometimes lust and obsession, or even just curiosity.

**Warnings:** Rated M for sexual references and activity in later chapters. Some bad language. Violence, death and so forth.

**~X~**

**Chapter One; White Lips, Pale Face**

"And that righ' there's Angel"; Joker pointed upwards, to a petite white-haired girl sitting atop a tight rope casually. It was obvious she had great balance, as she looked perfectly comfortable up there.

"Hey Angel!"; he called, waving his arms to get her attention.

She blinked down at him with large red eyes, framed by thick lashes; "Yeah?"

"Come down 'ere an' meet Smile and Black!"

"Okay"; she, with the litheness of a cat, jumped and caught a rope swinging from the tents' roof. She climbed down easily. Her thin and supple body reminded Sebastian of a cat, and he immediately was fond of her.

"Angel"; Joker affectionately put a hand on her shoulder; "This 'ere's Black and Smile. Angel here's my little sister"

She smiled warmly at them. Her eyes were slanted at the corners, giving her the feral appearance of a cat. Sebastian found himself liking her more and more.

"Pleasure"; she bowed to the two newcomers, who returned the gesture.

"Angel 'ere can fly, you see"; Joker explained; "'Cause she's an angel, of coarse"

"Fly? But that's nonsense"; Ciel's brilliant blue eye looked unconvinced. (**A/N:** I will be changing what I call Ciel/Smile and Sebastian/Black so that non-manga readers will know who's who)

Angel turned to show him her back, where two white wings sprouted out. The wings were small and feathery; not nearly large enough to support a person in flight. Angel's top exposed her back, and it was clearly visible that the wings protruded from her skin, as you could see it. But Ciel still couldn't believe it.

"I'm a hybrid"; Angel told Sebastian and Ciel; "Just like Snake can talk to snakes, I can talk to birds. But my wings look almost like an angels, and that's where I got my name"

"That an' you're so darn cute"; Joker brushed a strand of her white hair from her face and tucked it under her top hat; "You look like you just fell outta heaven"

Angel blushed; "Aw, quite big brother. You know that's not true". She looked at Ciel and Sebastian curiously; "So are you two related? You've got similar facial features"

"Certainly not"; Ciel looked appalled, while Sebastian couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh.. Sorry then"; Angels wings fluttered a bit. When they moved, there could clearly be heard the sound of ruffled feathers.

"Don't mind Smiles attitude, Miss Angel"; Sebastian smiled down at the petite cat-like girl; "He's just cranky because he hasn't been sleeping very well lately"

Joker suddenly gasped, eyes staring at Angels' wings; "Sis, wha' happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your right wing's got dried blood on i'!"; he exclaimed.

"Oh. That"; she didn't meet his eye, instead looking at the ruby encrusted on her knee-high boots; "It was only a little accident"

"Little? But it looks like sum a yer feathers are missing too! What 'appened?"

"One of Beasts' animals could smell the scent of bird off me, seeing as it's in my DNA, and didn't like it very much. They considered me dinner"

"Beasts' animals 'ave done it again? That's not on! She's an animal tamer, but she's obviously been slackin' off lately!"

"No!"; Angel met his gaze with sincerity; "She called it off! That's why the only thing missing are a few feathers, and not my life! She saved me, it wasn't her fault!"

Jokers' mouth set in a thin line; "Alrigh', fine then. Why didn't ya tell me though? We've to take ya to Doctor and get ya checked out"

Angel sighed dramatically and rolled her red eyes; _"That's_ why I didn't tell you. You over react about every little scratch I get"

Joker pouted like a child and crossed his arms; "I'm jus' worried is all!"

Ciel looked up at Sebastian, who was enjoying the show of older brother protectiveness; "Should we really be listening to this?"

"I think it's rather touching"; the demon replied.

"At least let 'im check it out!"; Joker continued protesting; "Even jus' put a plaster over it!"

"No. The plaster will ruin the look of my costume, and we've got another show in two days!"

"Your health comes before the circus"; Joker was adamant.

"No. And that's final"; Angel put her foot down, eyes blazing like the fires of hell. Sebastian grew a little respect for her. Just a little, she was still a human though, albeit an interesting one.

"Fine"; Joker looked like a scolded child; "Be tha' way then, see if I care when yer wing falls off"

"Angel"; Wendy interrupted the fight with a serene smile; "Peter and I need your help with the new routine. Would you help us?"

"Of coarse"; Angel smiled at the older woman who was stuck in the body of a child; "Sounds like fun". She sent Joker a rather un-angelic fierce look and marched off with Wendy on her heels.

"Fer an angel, she's a rather big handful"; Joker sighed, turning to Smile and Black.

"She _is_ a young lady"; Sebastian couldn't help defending the cat-eyed girl; "She must want to be treated as such"

"I know she's seventeen now, but I can' help thinkin' of 'er as that little girl from the gutter"

"Where?"; Ciel's nose for information had kicked in.

"Nowhere. Now, let's continue with our tour, shall we?"

**-x-x Night Time x-x-**

Angel lay curled up upon Snake's chest.

Sleeping alone was something she hated, and therefore she roomed with different members of the first tier. But Snake was the most common one. She'd always adored him and been adored by him. They were both hybrids, and bonded very closely over that.

She would die for him. And visa versa.

Brushing away strands of his pale hair (the same colour as hers) from his emerald eyes, she stared down at him; "How was your day?"

"Fine"

"Mine too. Except a little incident where one of Beasts' animals tried to maul me to death"

He smiled slightly; "I know".

His snakes had been watching it happen, and were about to intervene and strike the animal, injecting their venom into it, but Beast had stepped in and made the animal stop, so they refrained from doing so. But their fangs were aching for it. His snakes cared about Angel nearly as much as he did. They'd also been watching the fight between Angel and Joker, and had reported back to him about that too.

Snake absentmindedly played with the longest strand of Angels' hair, that curled at the end. Her head lay on his chest, and she listened to his erratic heartbeat, drawing designs with her fingertips on his chest.

"You need to eat more"; she suddenly declared; "I can feel your ribs when I lay on you"

"You've never voiced this opinion before"

She shrugged; "I've never cared enough to. But now I'm worried"

He smiled; "Well don't worry. There's nothing wrong with me"

There was a hiss from within Snake's hair, and a small scaly green snake poked it's little head out; "**Hiss**"; it's pink tongue darted in and out quickly.

Angel ran her finger gently along its head, petting it; "Hello little guy. You've got very lovely scales, you do". It hissed in pleasure, it's beady eyes darting between her and Snake, who turned a violent shade of red; "No"; he exclaimed; "I can't say that"

"Say what?"; Angel wondered.

Snake hesitated before saying; "He says thank you for the compliment, and that..."

"Yes?"

"And that he thinks you have very lovely breasts". Once he said this, the snake made a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughing.

Angels cheeks turned pink and she giggled; "He's rather charming, isn't he? I wonder where he got such language from?"

The snake hissed and Snake glared at it; "No! You did _not_ learn it from me"; he seethed through clenched teeth. Angel laughed; a sound that reminded Snake of chime bells.

To change the topic and hopefully forget about his embarrassment, he asked; "May I see your wing?"

"Is it just my wing you'd like to see?"; Angel grinned, winking at him.

_Some angel she is,_ Snake thought. "Yes"; he said; "Just your wing"

She sat up, still on him, and turned to expose her back. She was sitting on his stomach, so he couldn't sit up to check her wing, and had to do so lying down.

He gently ran his fingertips along the bald patch where her feathers used to be. She flinched and he apologized. He decided he wanted to sit up, so Angel had to sit on his lap. Her back touched his chest when he sat up straight.

Snake gently kissed the bald patch on her right wing; "Don't worry. The feathers will grow back"

She pouted; "I know. But Dagger said I'll have to paint the patch white, until the feathers grow back, or else the audience will see it"

"It's not that big of a patch"; Snake said, eyeing the scratch marks on the visible skin of her wing that were made my the animals' teeth; "And if you paint over the scratches, they might become infected. Or at least very painful"

Angel groaned; "But my _wing!_ It's even weirder without feathers than with them!"

"Your wings are not weird, and don't ever think that"; Snake said coldly. He remembered thinking that way, about his scales. He still does, but he's learned to accept them. Hating them was hating himself, and that wasn't a very good way to live life.

"Your wings are beautiful, Angel"; he said; "With or without a bald patch"

"Aw"; Angel smirked; "Do you like my breasts just as much as my wings?"

Snake blushed; "I don't talk about them, I swear. That damn snake is lying". There was a hiss of protest from his hair.

Angel giggled and nuzzled his cheek with her nose; "Don't lie to me, Snake. I've seen you looking when I get changed"

"Well then don't get changed in front of me!"; he snapped, lying back down and crossing his arms. He was a quite person, and this kind of teasing was strange for him. Angel was the only person who talked so openly about intimate things like that to him. It sent an unusual feeling through his body.

"Aw, cranky puss"; Angel turned back around and lay down, her chest on top of his; "Don't look so pouty"

"For an angel, you're not very innocent"

She smiled at him, her eyes boring into his. That strange feeling returned again, shooting up and down his body. "What do you mean? I'm still pure"; she said, and it was true. She did not believe in sex after marriage, thinking marriage over-rated, but that didn't mean she was as free with her body as she was with her words. Her virginity was still in tact.

"Oh hush about such things"; Snake shifted uncomfortably underneath her.

The more time he spent with Angel, especially alone, the weirder he felt. That feeling spread from his toes to his fingertips, and gave him rather inappropriate thoughts.

"Alright. Night then"; Angel curled back up on his chest, head resting in the nape of his neck. He could feel her hot breath and those tingles returned.

"Goodnight Angel"

**-x-x Morning x-x-**

"Angel!"; Dagger yelled, running up to her. He was panting and his forehead glistened with sweat.

"What?"; she asked.

She was just training with Suit. Birds seemed to like him too, and that drew her to him. Birds were flitty and easily startled creatures. For one to perch comfortably upon someone's finger was a surprise. She thought it showed a gentle soul.

"There's a little birdie! And he's hurt!"

"Where?"

"In the field behind our tent!-"; before he could finish, Angel was off running.

She ran through the practicing people easily, slinking between objects and people alike. She moved like a cat, and Sebastian couldn't help watching her run. She disappeared out the flaps of the tent, and he returned his attention back to his task at hand; tightrope walking.

Angel ran as fast as her slim legs could carry her. She pounced over the rock wall separating the tent from the field and landed swiftly and soundlessly.

She could see Peter and Wendy crouched down a little ways off, and she ran to them. When she reached them, she was gasping for breath. She fell to her knees before the broken bird.

Its right wing was missing, and a stump was in its place. There was dried blood on its back and it cooed weakly. Angels heart broke.

"Oh, you poor thing"; she whimpered.

Peter watched as her normally bright red eyes darkened to the colour of a wilted rose. Him and Wendy shared concerned looks.

"Angel"; Wendy said in her gentle voice, placing a hand over Angels hand; "Don't worry. He'll get better"

Dagger had caught up to Angel by then, and collapsed on the grass; "Damn, you really...can...really can run!"

Angel gently picked the bird up in the palms of her hands; "Oh dear". The bird cooed again. She could feel its weak heartbeat in her hands.

"He's missing a limb, just like us"; Dagger pointed out, still gasping for air.

"Oh my"; a sudden voice made them all jump. Black appeared out of nowhere, and so silently that none of them had heard.

He hadn't planned on following Angel, but Ciel had told him to go and find out what all the commotion was about. He came to find out it was just a measly bird, but he knew humans; They all planned on saving it, and it would join as a member of their family.

_Humans are so cute and predictable,_ he thought.

Angel suddenly picked up a nearby rock and smashed the birds head in. It caved it and the bird gave one final caw before dying.

Wendy, Peter and Dagger were shocked into silence. Even Sebastian was surprised. _Never mind that last thought,_ he said to himself,_ this one is mostly definitely not predictable_.

"Angel!"; Dagger gasped, recoiling from her; "W-what did you do that for?"

"Couldn't you tell?"; she said emotionlessly; "It was in pain, and we couldn't save him. Only prolong its suffering. I did it a kindness"

"You could have warned us before hand"; Peter spat, shaking slightly.

Sebastian smiled, his red eyes glinting; "How very considerate of you, Angel. You saved it"

"I did?"; she sounded hopeful. She felt horrible for what she'd done, though she did it in kindness, and tried to block out that guilt by being emotionless. Now she was going for hope. Maybe it'd make her feel less horrible?

"Of coarse. He's in a better place now"; Sebastian couldn't help but enjoy her.

_Angel's soul does seem rather tasty_, he admitted to himself, _Not hateful like the young Lord's, but twisted and hurt. With wings that noticeable, I bet she's been threw hardship because of them. Maybe that's why her soul smells like such?_

"Oh shut up!"; Peter snarled, standing up and facing the demon; "Don't encourage her! She smashed its brains out!"

Angels shoulders slumped with regret.

"She was being kinder than any of you three"; Sebastian said, looking pointedly at Wendy, Dagger and Peter; "You three were planning on trying to save it, though the bird had gone beyond the point of saving. Instead, you were going to force its suffering to last longer. Angel merely released it from its hell and sent him to a better place"

Now it was Wendy, Peter and Daggers turn to look guilty.

"I s'pose she _was_ helping it"; Dagger said quietly, not looking thoroughly convinced.

"Now that that's settled, let us return to practice, shall we?"; Sebastian said, holding a hand out for Angel to take. She did and he helped her to her feet. Dagger and Wendy stood too, and they walked together back to the tent.

"What happened?"; Ciel asked immediately when they returned.

Wendy and Peter went back to practice, and Dagger lingered around Beast, to flirt pointlessly. Angel went in search of comfort, and therefore went in search of Snake.

"Nothing, Smile"; Sebastian smirked when Ciel grumbled; "It was just a dying bird"

"All that fuss for a dying bird?"

"Yes"

Ciel sighed; "These people really are a bother. Let's just find what we need. Then we can finally go home"


End file.
